The present invention relates generally to vehicle doors and more particularly to manual locking mechanisms on vehicle doors.
Automotive vehicles that have power door locks also typically have some type of manual locking and unlocking mechanisms to allow for door locking and unlocking should the electric power fail or the power lock system malfunction. For many conventional vehicles, this includes conventional lock knobs extending upward from a door sill at the bottom of the door's window opening. However, for esthetic reasons, it may be desirable to eliminate such conventional lock knobs. Also, for functional reasons, one may wish to eliminate the lock rod that extends from the door latch to the knob extending from the sill for improved assembly and reliability. The need remains, though, for manual locking and unlocking when the power door lock system is not operating.
Some have attempted to overcome this by providing a slot in the fish mouth area or an open hole in the shut-face of the door with into which a person must insert a key and rotate it to manually lock the door. However, this requires a key to lock the door and also leaves an open hole (key slot) along the back side of the door into which debris may enter.